Wartime Aerial View Of Boxted Airfield Taken In 1943.
 

Photograph: Taken at the Boxted Airfield History Day, Langham Hall, 7th March, 2004 - Organised by the Boxted Airfield Historical Group

Boxted airfield, June 2003 - The line of the main runway is still clear, picked out by the grassed area used in the Fly-ins. Langham Lane-Moor Road, comes into the photo diagonally from the left.

Source: Geography Project

History - AAF Station 150: Boxted, Essex, England.

Work begun on the building of the airfield in 1942. W & C French Ltd. was the main contractor, using both Irish and local labour. The airfield was available for flying by May 1943. There were three runways. The main runway was 2,000 yards long and the two intersecting runways 1,400 yards each in length. The Base had accommodation for 2,900 personnel and there were two fuel dumps and the usual hangers. All temporary buildings were dispersed in woods and fields south of the airfield.

Generally, during the Second World War, it was the Air Ministry's general principle to name new airfields by the name of the village or parish in which they were built. Station 150 was an exception to this. The station was built to the west of the current A12 road, three miles north of Colchester, and was built entirely in the village of Langham. The station, however, took on the name of Boxted, another near-by village, as there was already an operational airfield known as Langham in Norfolk.

Boxted was allocated to the Eighth Air Force in August 1942 and was first occupied by one of the Medium Bomb Groups to operate with the Eighth. The 386th spent 10 days at Snetterton Heath in Norfolk before bringing its B-26s to Boxted on 10th June 1943. The group was commanded by Colonel Lester Maitland, a famous aviator who had been one of the first two pilots to fly across the Pacific Ocean from the USA to Hawaii.

The USA Department of the Air Force Historical Research Centre has provided the following list of units based at US Army Airfield F-150, Boxted, during World War II.

386th Bombardment Group (Medium) (Jun 43 - Sep 43)

• 552nd Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (Jun43 - Sep43)

• 553rd Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (Jun43 - Sep43)

• 554th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (Jun43 - Sep43)

• 555th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (Jun43 - Sep43)

354th Fighter Group (Nov 43 - Apr 44)

• 353rd Fighter Squadron (Nov 43 - Apr 44)

• 355th Fighter Squadron (Nov 43 - Apr 44)

• 356th Fighter Squadron (Nov 43 - Apr 44)

56th Fighter Group (Apr 44 - Oct 45)

• 61st Fighter Squadron (Apr 44 - Oct 45)

• 62nd Fighter Squadron (Apr 44 - Oct 45)

• 63rd Fighter Squadron (Apr 44 - Oct 45)

461st Service Squadron (Nov 43 - Apr 44)

• 70th Fighter Wing (Dec 43 - Apr 44)

65th Fighter Wing

• 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron (May 44 - Jan 45)

• 41st Service Squadron (Apr 44 - Apr 45)
   

Map showing details of Boxted Airfield and surrounding area

Source: Langham Village website where more information and additional links can be found.